Terror threat against France ‘unprecedented’

From the French edition of The Local

The threat of a jihadist attack in France has reached a level “without precedent” and new attacks are inevitable, according to top counter-terrorism officials.

“Not one day goes by without an alert, the discovery of a network trying to send people to Syria or Iraq, or an intervention (by the security services). The number of targets has exploded. There are two or three thousand, maybe four thousand, people identified or suspected of evil intentions.”

The biggest concerns relate to the estimated 200 individuals who have returned from training or fighting in areas held by the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

“Al-Qaeda needs to restore its prestige and will try to compete with IS with complex and major actions,” said the official.

“The problem is not to know if there will be a new attack,” said Valls. “It is to know when and where.”